9781618854704HolidayGemBeckNC (9 page)

Gemma laughed. “I think
he does sometimes. And I think that’s why the Goddess gave them Anton to
balance them.”

Seamus looked like he
was considering that. “I don’t think I could do it,” Seamus paused, “Share you,
I mean. I’m not sure how I’m even going to handle other men around you with
these crazy protective instincts I have to fight back. Shit, I hate leaving you
here with Nicolaus and I’ve known him and trusted him with my life for years.”

“It’s just the Claiming
affecting you,” Gemma reassured him, “And the Claiming affects me by keeping my
desire only for you.” She kissed his nose and set her camera onto her bedside
table before curling herself into his arms.

Changing the subject to
lighter conversation, Gemma asked, “So what about Eloise?”

“Now, Eloise is
completely opposite Layla. She’s gregarious and always into something. I don’t
know how Caedon contains her.”

Her eyebrows rose and
Gemma responded, “Perhaps he doesn’t. He might like her a bit uncontained.”

“Not from what I hear,”
Seamus spoke mostly under his breath but Gemma caught the undertones and knew
she didn’t want to know any more on the subject.

“Remember Eloise and
Layla are years apart. Layla is the baby and she’s only nineteen. Eloise lived
as an adult for longer without a mate. She had to find her own way, something
to feel fulfilled without a mate. Her independence makes her so gregarious.
Plus, from what I’ve heard, Caedon likes a challenge.” Gemma grinned when
Seamus choked over her words. Her innuendo was clear that she too knew Eloise
and Caedon might be unconventional behind closed doors.

“But who else have you
gotten to know? I didn’t know any of my sisters spent time at TEU.”

“Grace. She visits
Davina. Apparently they’ve become something of best friends after meeting at
Layla’s Pronouncement.”

“Oh, that’s great.
Grace has always seemed so disconnected. This friendship will be good for her,”
Gemma paused in thought and when Seamus didn’t say anything, she continued,
“Grace has always worried the most over the requirements of the seventh
prophecy even though no one is certain if we are ‘the seven born of one’ that
the prophecy speaks of. There have been a few other families with seven sisters
before us,” Gemma explained.

“Is there a difference
between those families and yours?”

“The one of most
significance is that never have all seven sisters made it to adulthood.
In each of the other families, one of the sisters died sometime in
childhood.”

“Do you hope for one
way or the other?” Seamus asked.

Gemma shrugged in
answer and shook her head. When Seamus raised his eyebrows, she continued, “It
would be exciting to live out a prophecy. But on the other hand, the true
consequences fall to the first and last sisters.” According to all her
research, the prophecy stated that ‘the first sister shall bear another seven
and the seventh shall release the deadly sins so long as all are mated.’

“The
oldest and youngest sisters then?”
Seamus asked.

Gemma shook her head
again, “I’m not convinced that’s the case. I think it’s referring to the first
and last to be mated. And that none of the prophecy will be fulfilled until all
of us are mated.”

“Will it change
anything significant for you since you are neither of these?”

“Not any more than it
will change our world, Seamus. We won’t have to worry for our children and
families that the women have to suffer. If the seven sisters in the prophecy fulfill
their ultimate calling by accepting their role as Valendite Breed mates, the
curse of the Seven Sins will be broken. Women of the
Magdalena Circle
won’t live with a soul sin.”

“It means our children
will be freed from its curse,” Seamus finished for her, “It means we can have
beautiful little girls that look just like their mother but bear no sin.”

“Yes. It’s an
incredible thought.” Gemma grew quiet as she contemplated her own sin and the
difficulties she’d had throughout her childhood.

“
I am so glad you won’t suffer anymore
,” Seamus’ voice in her mind
warmed her.

Gemma smiled at him and
brought her lips to his in a gentle kiss. “
I
am so glad you found me
” then using her voice, she continued, “Out of each
of my sisters, my own sin manifested itself in a most unlikely way. While being
greedy for knowledge wasn’t a bad thing, the thought of not knowing something
plagued me. And obviously, it’s impossible to always know everything.” She
shook her head.

“
Which
is what brings on the attacks you had.
”

“And why now that I
have you, the attacks have stopped.”

“How did you handle
them before? I mean, I saw just that one but it terrified me.”

“With the seven of us
living together in the house mother and father bought us, someone was always
around if I needed them. But really it was always about planning. I knew
everything that would happen in my day and I didn’t deviate. I lived by a
structured schedule and it helped me feel safe.”

“What if things now
can’t be structured? Even without the sin, won’t that change be hard?”

“It might be but I’ll
learn to deal with it. I think getting you out of the deal is pretty good.”
Gemma grinned at Seamus. “Though it would help if you picked up a bit more
after yourself,” Gemma added.

“What?” Seamus asked
incredulously but Gemma pointed to the floor where his clothing lay in
disarray.

“There’s a laundry
basket. Or at the very least, they could be folded onto a chair,” she
suggested.

Seamus laughed, “This
might take me some time. I’ve lived with just me and Van for a while. And I’ve
got to say that Van never cared where I put my clothes, or anything else for
that matter.”

“I didn’t know you
lived with Donovan.” Gemma suddenly realized how important the missing TEU
agent was to Seamus. She felt it through their bond now that he was thinking
about his friend. “Why didn’t you tell me how close you were with him?”

“I didn’t know how.
He’s like a brother to me and losing him is not an option.”

“Are you worried it has
something to do with the people who took Caedon’s parents? I know TEU hasn’t
tracked them down yet.”

“I don’t think it’s
likely, but I honestly can’t figure out what went wrong. I’m just sticking to
the objective. I’ll get in, get him out and get home to you.”

“
I’ll be here waiting
,” she spoke through their newly acquired bond before
kissing him again, deeper this time. Without words, they both knew the kiss
would have to last them until Seamus returned.

Chapter Six

She was certain she’d
done the right thing by encouraging him to find Donovan. There was not a doubt
in her mind about that. Still she feared for him. Gemma put on her big-girl
panties and stood by him while Caedon and Madden went over mission objectives
and details, much of it she didn’t understand. She held herself together and
forced all her emotions down so as not to worry Seamus.

But before he left,
Gemma needed Seamus to know he could count on her. She jumped up and wrapped
her arms around his shoulders. “
I am
yours
,” she spoke into his mind so others wouldn’t hear.

Seamus’ response was
immediate as his lips crushed down on hers. This wasn’t the sweet kiss of
earlier, and Gemma returned his intensity and encouraged him to pull her closer
and deepen the kiss even further. Seamus grabbed her bottom and forced her to
wrap her legs around his waist. The thought that she should be embarrassed in
front of the others crossed her mind but it was only fleeting. Everything
inside her focused on her mate.

Gemma did hear one of
the men gasp however. She opened her eyes for just a moment and saw the colors
of light. Seamus and her combined emotions caused bursts of sparkling light to
swirl around them. Incredible joy pounded in her veins and she knew she loved
this man. He felt right against her as his lips pressed against hers and his
teeth nipped at her lower lip.

A cough from behind
them broke their moment. Seamus squeezed his eyes closed before opening them,
shaking his head and placing her down on the floor. With his hand around her
waist, he looked to Nicolaus.

“I place my mate in
your keeping.” Seamus spoke solemnly.

“I swear my oath to her
safety,” Nicolaus dipped his head slightly and nodded once.

Seamus grabbed her
face, his hands on either side, and placed his forehead against hers.

“I will be back as
quickly as possible.”

“I will be right here
waiting,” Gemma offered the only assurance she had to give.

* * * *

“The damn coordinates
tell us he’s right here,” Seamus spoke to Caedon through his earpiece. “There’s
nothing here. It’s a shack.
A damn shack.”
Seamus
kicked around broken furniture that lay on the dirty floors.

Gage searched the other
rooms while Seamus reported in. They’d used stealth and entered the village in
the middle of the night despite all
intel
showing it
was uninhabited. Donovan’s GPS signal led them here though, and Seamus didn’t
intend to leave until he figured out what the fuck was going on. Through the
pitch-dark, with only their night-vision goggles, he and Gage had searched the
entire village. They’d found two chickens and a dog that was now following him
around the building he stood in, but no other sign of life.

“We have a lock in this
location. He’s there somewhere,” Caedon said.

“Or his GPS tracker is
there,” Madden suggested. A deafening silence followed that statement because
they each knew the doctors had surgically installed their trackers.
 

“Seamus,” Gage called
out and interrupted the thoughts beginning to eat at Seamus.

He followed Gage’s
voice through another room that smelled of rotten food and stale sweat. The
shack was uninhabitable. Seamus couldn’t imagine this had been used as a home
in years.
It’s
abandoned furniture lay entirely in
shambles. He approached Gage and immediately saw what Gage was looking at.

“Fuck,” was the only
thing he could say as he stared at the writing on the wall. The message was
written in Italian and was definitely in Donovan’s handwriting.

Same group
looking for us.
Connected to Pisano kidnapping.

Let myself get
captured. Rendezvous in Pontedra.

After reading it to himself, Seamus
spoke the message aloud for Caedon to record through their comm device. He
memorized the words and then he wanted to scream at the risk Donovan was
taking. Did he not remember how bad Caedon’s parents had looked when they
rescued them?

As if reading his mind,
Caedon’s voice rang clear through the earpiece. “Listen carefully to me. We can
get him out before any harm is done. There’s a reason Donovan let himself get
captured. He’s smart. He obviously saw this as our way in. And remember, he had
the fake CIA credentials.”

Gage agreed and offered
up his own proof. “They’d never left him in this room thinking he was secure if
they’d suspected he was a Breed. You should see this shithole, Madden.”

Madden interjected,
“It’s likely they think he’s CIA and Donovan is smart enough to use that to his
advantage.”

“And the smart son-of-a-bitch
led us right to their door,” Gage nodded his head and grinned. “I knew he was
the smart one out of you two.”

 
“Look, Seamus, they’ll use human torture
techniques which mean nothing to a Breed.”

“But his reaction to
the torture will make it obvious he isn’t human.” That got Seamus moving.
“Okay. So what’s the plan? We obviously have to move
quick
.”

“Double time it back to
the drop off point and return to the Sinster home. By then, we’ll gather a full
team. We’re going to take these bastards out.”

* * * *

They arrived back at
the Sinster house as the first rays rose in the morning sky. Seamus sat in
Gemma’s bedroom and watched her sleep before he headed down for the first
briefing of the day. By now, Caedon would have some
intel
to share.

It was only a few
minutes after they began running through information that Seamus felt Gemma’s
alarm through their bond. He called to her in his mind, “
I’m back. We’re in the dining room in a briefing
.”

“
Donovan?
”

“
He wasn’t there but we know where he is now. Come join me when you’re
ready
.”